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"Sober"
Single by G-Eazy featuring Charlie Puth
from the album The Beautiful & Damned
Written2015
ReleasedDecember 8, 2017 (2017-12-08)
Length3:23
LabelRCA
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)
G-Eazy singles chronology
"Him & I"
(2017) 		"Sober"
(2017) 		"1942"
(2018)
Charlie Puth singles chronology
"How Long"
(2017) 		"Sober"
(2017) 		"Done for Me"
(2018)
Music video
"Sober" on YouTube

"Sober" is a song by American rapper G-Eazy, featuring vocals from American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. It was released via RCA Records on December 8, 2017, as the third single from G-Eazy's third studio album, The Beautiful & Damned.[1][2][3][4] Puth produced the song with Dakari and the Futuristics, and they wrote the song with G-Eazy alongside Matt Dragstrem and Edgar Machuca.

Background

G-Eazy revealed the album's full track listing alongside the single release.[5][6] Talking about how the collaboration came together, G-Eazy told MTV News: "Charlie is one of the most talented individuals in music. He's a really special artist. We met a while ago when we're touring in Europe, and we're playing venues right next to each other. We clicked up that night and just talked and just vibed, and I found out he is a huge fan of the Bay Area hip hop, it was a huge new found respect for him on that level." He also explained his reasoning for the title of the song, saying: "I try to illustrate both sides, you know what I mean? There's definitely the fun side of going out and partying. I'm out all the time. But then there's also that reality of — I try to paint the picture of the other side, living with that [feeling], what did I do last night? But it's all about finding that medium, and I think that's ultimately [the meaning of] The Beautiful & Damned, is to not end up way out there, and to keep yourself in check and try to find that balance, find moderation, or whatever."[7]

In an interview with Billboard, Puth said that he wrote the song with Breyan Issac and Ester Dean in 2015, which was a dark point in his life, and that he had someone in mind when he wrote it. He continued: "You never know where these songs are gonna go. I had originally written verses, like sing-y verses, and it just didn't feel right. It felt like it needed an Eminem type story. When I heard G's verses on it, they just happened to be something similar to what I went through. There is no other person who could have done it better than G. I love G. Young Gerald, Eazy season. He's my tallest friend."[8]

Music video

The music was released on March 14, 2018 on Vevo and YouTube.

Critical reception

Megan Armstrong of Billboard made the metaphor of G-Eazy's rapping being "the devil on one shoulder" and Puth's voice being "the angel on the other [shoulder]". She praised both artists for playing off their contrast in styles.[9] Deepa Lakshmin of MTV News felt "G-Eazy's rap verses blend perfectly with Puth's smooth vocals".[10] Mike Wass of Idolator regarded the song as "a bro-anthem" and "an ode to, and a cautionary tale about, drunken nights". He praised Puth for providing "an instantly hummable chorus".[11]

Credits and personnel

Credits adapted from Tidal.[12]

  • G-Eazy – songwriting
  • Charlie Puth – songwriting, production
  • Breyan Isaac – songwriting
  • The Futuristics – songwriting, production
  • Ester Dean – songwriting
  • Matt Dragstrem – songwriting
  • Dakarai Gwitira – songwriting, production, record engineering
  • Edgar Machuca – songwriting
  • Jaycen Joshua – mix engineering
  • Ben Milchev – engineering assistance
  • David Nakaji – engineering assistance

Charts

Chart (2017–18) Peak
position
Belgium (Ultratip Bubbling Under Wallonia)[13] 4
Canada (Canadian Hot 100)[14] 80
Czech Republic (Rádio – Top 100)[15] 16
New Zealand Heatseeker (RMNZ)[16] 9
US Bubbling Under Hot 100 Singles (Billboard)[17] 6
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[18] 49
US Mainstream Top 40 (Billboard)[19] 33
US Rhythmic (Billboard)[20] 15

Certifications

Region Certification Certified units/sales
Canada (Music Canada)[21] Gold 40,000‡
United States (RIAA)[22] Gold 500,000‡

‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.

Release history

Region Date Format Label Ref.
Various December 8, 2017 Digital download RCA [12]
Australia March 16, 2018 Contemporary hit radio Sony [23]
United States March 20, 2018 RCA [24]
Italy March 23, 2018 Sony [25]

References

  1. ^ Findlay, Mitch (December 7, 2017). "G-Eazy Reflects On Drunken Lust In Charlie Puth Assisted "Sober"". HotNewHipHop. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  2. ^ Hudelson, Molly (December 11, 2017). "G-Eazy shares new single "Sober" featuring Charlie Puth". Substream Magazine. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  3. ^ Dj Felli Fel (December 8, 2017). "G-Eazy Recruits Charlie Puth For New Single "Sober"". KPWR. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  4. ^ Sterling, Scott (December 8, 2017). "G-Eazy Recruits Charlie Puth For 'Sober'". CBS Radio. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  5. ^ Powell, Jon (December 10, 2017). "G-Eazy Recruits Charlie Puth for "Sober"". Respect. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  6. ^ "New Music: G-Eazy feat. Charlie Puth – 'Sober'". Rap-Up. December 7, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  7. ^ G-Eazy (November 20, 2017). "G Eazy X MTV News". MTV News (Interview). Interviewed by Gaby Wilson. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  8. ^ Weatherby, Taylor (December 28, 2017). "Charlie Puth Recalls Recording With Selena Gomez in a Closet, Liam Payne's Weird Studio Habits & More Duet Details". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  9. ^ Armstrong, Megan (December 8, 2017). "G-Eazy & Charlie Puth Prepare For Drunken Mistakes in New Song 'Sober'". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  10. ^ Lakshmin, Deepa (December 8, 2017). "G-Eazy And Charlie Puth's New Song Is A Hangover Waiting To Happen". MTV News. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  11. ^ Wass, Mike (December 8, 2017). "G-Eazy Teams Up With Charlie Puth For New Buzz Track "Sober"". Idolator. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  12. ^ a b "The Beautiful & Damned / G-Eazy TIDAL". Tidal. Retrieved December 26, 2017.
  13. ^ "G-Eazy feat. Charlie Puth – Sober" (in French). Ultratip. Retrieved April 22, 2018.
  14. ^ "G-Eazy Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  15. ^ "ČNS IFPI" (in Czech). Hitparáda – Radio Top 100 Oficiální. IFPI Czech Republic. Note: Change the chart to CZ – RADIO – TOP 100 and insert 201850 into search. Retrieved December 18, 2018.
  16. ^ "NZ Heatseekers Singles Chart". Recorded Music NZ. December 25, 2017. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  17. ^ "G-Eazy Chart History (Bubbling Under Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  18. ^ "G-Eazy Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved December 30, 2017.
  19. ^ "G-Eazy Chart History (Pop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 30, 2018.
  20. ^ "G-Eazy Chart History (Rhythmic)". Billboard. Retrieved May 1, 2018.
  21. ^ "Canadian single certifications – G-Eazy – Sober". Music Canada. Retrieved November 8, 2022.
  22. ^ "American single certifications – G-Eazy – Sober". Recording Industry Association of America.
  23. ^ "Singles To Radio - The Music Network". themusicnetwork.com.
  24. ^ "Top 40/M Future Releases". All Access Media Group. Archived from the original on March 14, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2018.
  25. ^ "G-EAZY FT CHARLIE PUTH "Sober" - (Radio Date: 23/3/2018)". radiodate.it. Retrieved 8 December 2018.
source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sober_(G-Eazy_song)

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